Speeches

Partnership is at the very centre of the sustainable development agenda. It is both a means to an end, since it is a crucial enabler for the attainment of the other goals; and an end in itself, since Goal 17 is on ‘Means of Implementation and Revitalized Global Partnership.

"We look forward to deepening our collaboration with the Commission in addressing the remaining obstacles including the harmonization and complete integration of systems and the disparate institutional and human resource capacities across the different countries."

Alleviating poverty through strengthening of agro-food value chains, improving agricultural productivity and enhancing access to markets are areas where Kano state already has a comparative advantage we can leverage on. The partnership we intend to build moving forward, will unlock Kano’s potentials, revive its industrial base and generate employment for its people.

The UN support to your development aspirations in Kaduna will be catalytic and innovative, and we look forward to work with your team, especially the staff of the Planning and Budget Commission, the Economic Planning Board and Local Level Planning Committee to leverage all available resources (human and financial); institutions, including those of the United Nations and the private sector; and ideas and best practices from across the globe to ensure that this noble idea of applying the principle of subsidiarity in the planning process is achieved in Kaduna.

His Excellency expressed his immense appreciation of the work the various humanitarian actors are doing in Borno. He also stated that while the ongoing humanitarian work is helping hundreds of thousands of people in desperate need of support, the burden is only becoming heavier as more Local Government Areas (LGAs) become liberated from the control of Boko Haram. He therefore requested for urgent and scaled up support directed towards these newly liberated areas.

I am also aware, I am starting my tenure as the Head of the UN in Nigeria (a Representative of the Secretary General H.E Ban Ki moon and the incoming SG, Mr. Antonio Guterres) at a time when questions are being raised by partners on the role of the UN in Nigeria. This is compounded by the concerns of some stakeholders, especially the government on our mode of engagement in the North-East. While these may be perceptions, I intend to use the UN system’s collective resolve to make sure they do not become reality. In this respect, I intend to work with my colleagues in the UNCT to “Deliver as One”and speak with One Voice on critical issues of concern on UN-Nigeria relations and on our interventions in Nigeria.

Three main factors account for African agriculture’s under-performance and low productivity. First, a large proportion of Africa’s agriculture depends on rain. Only 6 percent of the total cultivated area in Africa is equipped for irrigation, compared to 46 percent in South Asia and 56 percent in East Asia.[1] Accelerated irrigation has the potential to improve land-use efficiency and boost agricultural productivity by as much as 50%.

The promotion and advancement of legal scholarship is of critical importance in the shaping of any society. Law defines how we interact with the world around us today, and also helps us understand what that interaction may look like tomorrow. Strong, transparent and equitable legal frameworks for societies serve as a cornerstone for peace, democracy and development.

Violent extremism affects us all cutting across national borders. It pushes the already vulnerable beyond their ability to cope and survive. Our latest National Human Development Report 2016 already highlights the fact that where there is insecurity, development suffers, poverty thrives affecting women and children the worst.

The importance of cassava has grown beyond its essence as a staple and food security crop. Cassava is now recognized as an essential industrial crop. It is now recognized as an essential raw material for large scale manufacturing.